"Acoustic control for a loud environment, creating comfort without compromising energy."
Overview
Moxie Hair & Body Lounge on Garrett Street is a vibrant, high-energy salon, but the hard surfaces, open layout, and constant activity created an acoustic environment that was uncomfortably loud for both stylists and clients.
TES was brought in to solve the noise problem with targeted acoustic control, ensuring conversations could happen comfortably while preserving the lively, creative atmosphere that defines Moxie.
The Challenge
Hair salons are acoustically difficult environments by nature. The combination of hard flooring, glass surfaces, exposed brick, high ceilings, and the constant background noise of dryers, running water, and simultaneous conversations creates a reverberant space where sound energy bounces continuously without being absorbed. At busy periods, the cumulative effect is a wall of noise that makes comfortable conversation between a stylist and a client genuinely difficult. Moxie Hair and Body Lounge on Garrett Street had this problem amplified by its industrial brick-and-glass aesthetic, which is central to the salon's identity and visual appeal. Exposed brick, concrete, and glass are among the most reflective surfaces in any interior environment. Every sound source in the salon, hair dryers, music, the hum of activity, and multiple simultaneous conversations, blended into an overwhelming acoustic environment that caused fatigue for stylists working long shifts and discomfort for clients who came in expecting a relaxing experience. The critical constraint was that the design character of the space could not be altered. The exposed brick, the industrial details, the open feel: these are what make Moxie visually distinctive and what clients respond to when they walk in. Any acoustic solution had to work within that aesthetic rather than covering it up.
Our Solution
We began with an acoustic analysis of the space, identifying the primary surfaces driving reverberation and mapping the sound energy paths that were causing the most problematic buildup. In a space like Moxie, the ceiling plane and upper wall areas are typically the highest-priority treatment zones because they catch the broadest range of reflected energy from below. Acoustic treatment panels were designed and positioned to absorb and redirect sound energy at the frequencies where the salon's noise buildup was most concentrated, primarily the mid-range frequencies that carry voice and the higher frequencies generated by dryers and equipment. Panel placement was deliberate rather than systematic, working around the exposed brick and industrial details that define the space rather than covering them. The treatment was also calibrated to reduce reverberation without deadening the room. A salon environment benefits from some ambient energy because it masks individual conversations and creates the lively, active feeling that clients associate with the brand. The goal was not silence but comfort, reducing the acoustic fatigue caused by excessive reverberation while preserving the sense of energy and activity that makes Moxie feel like Moxie. No structural changes were required. No architectural features were altered or obscured. The treatment integrated into the space visually in a way that reads as a design element rather than a remediation.
Services Provided
Listening assessment and acoustic analysis identifying primary reflection surfaces and reverberation patterns before any treatment was specified.
Strategic placement of absorptive acoustic panels at ceiling and upper wall positions to address the highest-impact reflection zones without altering the salon's design character.
Targeted treatment absorbing mid and high-frequency reverberation generated by hair dryers, music, and simultaneous conversations across the full salon floor.
Overall noise level reduction achieved through reverberation control rather than sound blocking, reducing acoustic fatigue for staff and improving comfort for clients.
Treatment designed and positioned to work within the industrial brick-and-glass aesthetic of the space, reading as a design element rather than a remediation measure.
The Result
Moxie's clients and stylists noticed the difference immediately after installation. Conversations between stylists and clients are clearer and easier without raising voices. The energy level of the space stays high throughout the day without the cumulative fatigue that the previous acoustic environment created for staff working long shifts. The salon's signature aesthetic remains completely intact. The exposed brick, the industrial details, the open layout: all of it is unchanged. The space simply sounds better inside the same visual envelope it had before. For a salon where the client experience is the product, the acoustic environment is not a secondary consideration. Moxie understood that, which is why they brought in a professional rather than trying to solve the problem with furniture or curtains. The result is a space that feels as good as it looks.
